Dove of Peace - Gourd Ornament
A Gift of Harmony and Unity!
This exquisite ornament is more than decoration—it’s a heartfelt symbol of peace, artistry, and tradition. A gentle dove is delicately hand-carved among folk-inspired floral patterns, echoing the embroidered skirts worn by women in the Andes. On one side, the word “peace” appears; on the other, “paz”, a tender reminder that peace transcends all cultures or nationalities.
Created in collaboration with Peruvian master artists Lizzet and Rodolfo, each piece reflects extraordinary skill and cultural heritage. Finished in hues of fuchsia or purple, these gourd ornaments are a radiant way to bless any space or occasion with meaning and beauty.
Perfect for:
- Meaningful gifts & spiritual milestones
- Holiday trees, weddings, and memorials
- Year-round reminder of hope and harmony
Ethically handmade. Fair Trade. Size and details vary slightly. Price is for one ornament
An Ancient Craft
A living tradition more than 4,000 years in the making.
Long before gourds became Christmas ornaments and keepsakes, Peruvians were carving and decorating them for both practical and symbolic purposes.
Archaeological evidence from Huaca Prieta on Peru’s northern coast shows gourds used as bowls, bottles, dippers, fishing floats, and other everyday objects as early as the third millennium BCE. Some fragments were also carved and decorated with pyroengraving, showing that gourds had already become a surface for artistic expression.
Other archaeological discoveries reveal their deeper symbolic significance. A carved and painted gourd fragment dating to about 2250 BCE depicts the Staff God, one of the earliest known representations of a major Andean deity.
Remarkably, closely related techniques continue to this day. Artists still carve dried gourds by hand and use heat to darken and shade the surface, carrying forward an ancient Peruvian tradition with roots reaching back thousands of years.
Sources: American Museum of Natural History archaeological research at Huaca Prieta, published 1949; archaeological research on early Andean decorated gourds; Peru Ministry of Culture documentation on mate burilado, 2013.
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